Runaways
by gayannabeth
Summary: When Harry decides to try and break up with Ginny to protect her, she is stubborn and as a result they end up faking it.


**I have had this idea for a few weeks and it will not go away. I decided to get a first chapter put to see if anyone likes it.**

**Disclaimer: while the collective story is my own work, the original characters and novels this is based on are not.**

Ginny sighed in annoyance. "No."

Harry stopped speaking. "No?" He frowned. "What do you mean, no?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Look, Harry. I get what you're trying to say, but I disagree."

Harry grunted. "How do you disagree?"

"I just think that since Voldemort can read your mind, this idea of yours is pointless."

Harry sighed. "Yes, but he stopped. And no one else could realize that I still actually care about you."

Ginny nodded. "Good. Just making sure you do."

Harry looked thoughtful for a second. "You know, we could always just pretend."

"Pretend to break up?"

"Yeah." Harry shuffled his feet nervously. "How are your acting skills?"

Ginny laughed quietly. "Pretty good. So how do you want to do this?"

Harry stepped forward. "Hit me."

Ginny stepped back. "Hit you?"

Harry nodded. "Not hard. I can sell it. You just need to act like I dumped you."

Ginny snorted. "That's not hard. you were gonna do that anyway."

Harry gestured to his face. "Then hit me Weasley."

She raised her hand. "Just to be sure, we are telling Ron and Hermione?"

Harry nodded.

Ginny swung.

_SMACK_

Harry recoiled from her hand, his hand raising to cover his cheek.

"You insensitive prat!" Ginny yelled before turning and stomping away.

"Ginny, wait!"

She turned. "What, Potter?"

She saw him open and close his mouth a few times. "Never mind." Using the eye facing away from their sudden audience, he winked.

When she reached the castle, she ducked into an alcove behind a suit of armour. She pulled out her wand and performed a disillusionment charm. She sat down to wait for Harry to come in.

About 5 minutes later, he did, flanked by Ron and Hermione. Ron was quite red in the face as if he'd been yelling. She stepped out to follow them.

Harry led them up to the second floor and into one of the classrooms. Ginny followed them in and closed the door, dispelling the disillusionment charm.

Ron stared at her, obviously confused, while Hermione looked thoughtful.

Harry nodded at her. "Thanks. This will make explaining a lot easier."

Ginny laughed thought you might need backup. Ron already yell at you?"

Harry nodded. "I expected that of course."

Ron laughed nervously. "Ok, will someone please explain what is going on?"

"Acting, Ron. We were acting." Harry seemed to be trying to hold in a laugh.

Hermione gasped. "So you... you decided to fake it?"

Ginny laughed again. "Right in one! 10 points to Gryffindor."

Ron's eyes widened. "So you are still together?"

Harry nodded. "We figured it would be a bit safer if some of the Junior Death Eaters thought we'd broken up."

"Of course," Ginny added, "I expect Voldemort could eventually pick this put of Harry's mind."

Harry nodded. "I honestly feel it would almost be safest for her to come with us, but she would still be only 16."

Ginny bristled. "Excuse me, what-"

"No! That's not- look, we aren't returning to Hogwarts. We need to do something. The reason we can go is because the ministry won't detect us doing magic. They would detect you."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "If whatever they did to detect underage magic actually worked correctly, I could come and just not perform magic. But it would detect your spells."

Ron spoke up, "wait, are you seriously considering her coming too?"

Harry groaned. "I'm not really. I want her to, but it would just put all four of us in danger. It's safest if she didn't."

Hermione nodded. "What if we could break the trace early?"

"What?" Harry turned to her.

"The trace," she said, "is how the minstry detects underage magic. Of course it only detects magic done near the subject, so it doesn't really work properly, like Ginny said. But if we could break it early, Ginny could potentially come with us."

Harry looked hopeful. "You think you could figure out how to do that?"

Hermione shrugged. "I doubt I'd find it in some book. I also doubt I'd find how it's set up. But... knowing what it does, I could figure that out. I'd need a few months."

Harry grimaced. "We don't have that long. Dumbledore is dead. It's only a matter of time before the Death Eaters take the ministry and then what? They'll probably round up muggle-borns. Some Death Eater might get installed as headmaster here at Hogwarts."

Ron looked green at that.

"It makes sense." Ginny sat down on a desk next to where Harry was standing. "It was known that Voldemort feared Dumbledore. With him gone, the only one he seems to actually fear is you, Harry."

Harry sat down next to her. "You're right." He put his head in his hands. "Listen, there is something I should tell you. You see, that prophecy from last year, Dumbledore was the one who heard it."

"And he told you, didn't he?"

Harry nodded. "I want to tell you now."

And he did. "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives ..." (JK Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix)

Ginny stared at him. "So you can beat him then?"

Harry nodded.

Ginny smiled. "Then make sure you do it. You win, you come back to me. You hear me? You come back."

Harry nodded. "Thanks for the motivation, Ginny."

She leaned over and kissed him.

Hermione cleared her throat. "Right, so we need to make plans. Right now, we should assume you won't be joining us, right?"

Ginny shrugged. "Yeah. I wish I could but that doesn't seem like it will happen."

Ron laughed. "Trust me. If it can, that would be great. Strength in numbers and all that."

**So that is the first chapter.**


End file.
